Farm Chemicals Are Poisoning Our Water, Creating a Health Crisis
Carey Gillam, The New Lede:
“A controversial Iowa water safety report has confirmed what many people in the state have long feared to be true: Dangerously high levels of farm chemicals, including nitrates and pesticides are polluting waterways with potentially dire health consequences for hundreds of thousands of residents. As Iowans’ seek answers for rising cancer rates and other health problems, the report provides a host of recommendations for how to reduce the contamination and protect public health. The question is: Will the state’s powerful agricultural interests listen?
Iowa has the second-highest rate of cancer in the nation, and is only one of two US states where cancer is increasing. Leukemia, as well as cancers of the pancreas, breast, stomach, kidney, thyroid and uterus, are among the different cancer types on the rise across the state, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Pesticide use in the state has increased over the last few decades, with glyphosate herbicide ranking as Iowa’s most widely used pesticide applied through traditional spraying, followed by acetochlor and atrazine, according to the report. Neonicotinoid pesticides are also prevalent in Iowa, used as seed coatings on most corn and soybean seeds planted in the state, the report said. Each of the pesticides is linked in scientific research to human and/or environmental harms.”
The New Lede breaks down the report and what lies ahead
TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State to Ban Glyphosate, Not Bail Out Bayer!
TAKE ACTION: Ask Your State Legislator To Support a Ban on Bee-Killing Neonicotinoids!
Carey’s Latest Book! The Monsanto Papers: Deadly Secrets, Corporate Corruption, and One Man’s Search for Justice
The Monsanto Papers is the inside story of Lee Johnson’s landmark lawsuit against Monsanto. For Lee, the case was a race against the clock, with doctors predicting he wouldn’t survive long enough to take the witness stand. For the eclectic band of young, ambitious lawyers representing him, it was a matter of professional pride and personal risk, with millions of dollars and hard-earned reputations on the line. For the public at large, the lawsuit presented a question of corporate accountability. With enough money and influence, could a company endanger its customers, hide evidence, manipulate regulators, and get away with it all—for decades?
Readers will be astounded by the depth of corruption uncovered, captivated by the shocking twists, and moved by Lee’s quiet determination to see justice served. With gripping narrative force that reads like fiction, The Monsanto Papers takes readers behind the scenes of a grueling legal battle, pulling back the curtain on the frailties of the American court system and the lengths to which lawyers will go to fight corporate wrongdoing
Carey Gillam is an American investigative journalist and author. Gillam was born in Overland Park, Kansas. She started her career as a general assignment reporter for two small newspapers in Kansas. Carey Gillam is an American investigative journalist and author with more than 30 years of experience covering food and agricultural policies and practices. You can find more about Carey Gillam here.
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